Derek McInnes has revealed that Nicolas Raskin’s omission from the Rangers squads against Jablonec and Aberdeen was not his decision.
The Belgian midfielder was left out of the matchday squad for the Conference League trip to Jablonec before also missing the 1-0 Scottish Premiership victory over Aberdeen, after previously being kept on the bench for the home leg against the Czech side at Ibrox.
Raskin’s absence came amid significant uncertainty over his Rangers future, with the midfielder attracting transfer interest following his impressive World Cup campaign.
Besiktas chased Belgian maestro
Besiktas made two bids, a loan with an option-to-buy and a €12 million deadline day bid for the Belgian, but neither came to fruition.
McInnes says Raskin ommision 'wasnt my decision'
However, McInnes has now clarified that the decision to leave the 25-year-old out was made by the club rather than the Rangers boss himself.
Asked about Raskin’s absence, McInnes said: “It wasn’t my decision. It was a club decision to protect the investment, really.
“There was a lot of chat and, maybe with Youssef [Chermiti’s] injury and the like, there was a feeling that we had to be sensible with what we were doing because it is a business, and I understand that.
“But, as a manager, you just want to pick your best players.”
Chermiti knock forced Gers hand on Raskin
Chermiti suffered an ACL injury against Hibernian, hours after Rangers turned down a massive bid from Galatasaray for the Portuguese striker, with him expected to now miss the majority, if not the whole, season.
In response, McInnes signed Venezuelan striker Kevin Kelsy from Portland Timbers for a reported £9.5 million, with Badredine Bouanani following him in on loan.
The comments offer a significant insight into the thinking behind Raskin’s omission during a period when Rangers were attempting to determine whether the midfielder would remain at Ibrox.
McInnes' admission also makes clear that, from a footballing perspective, he would have preferred to have Raskin available to him, but that decision, controversially, was taken out of his hands by the Ibrox hierarchy.
Raskin subsequently returned to the starting XI against Falkirk, underlining that his future had not been completely separated from the first-team picture.
The midfielder has now remained at Rangers beyond the closure of several major European transfer windows, although clubs in leagues with later deadlines could still provide a potential route away from Ibrox.
Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad have been linked with the player but he is expected to remain in Govan until at least the January transfer window.
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